Musician, Healer, and Prophecy
by HONK HONK AND Glow Frog Kyrna
Summary: Master Fung's niece and nephew come to the temple and Chase has his eye on one of them. However, a Shen Gong Wu might give the monks the edge they need to stave off this new disaster. But it will all come down to one final confrontation, and the outcome
1. Prophecy and The Two In One

There is a prophecy. It revolves around two persons, ones who will come. They will come to heal the world, not save it. Regardless of what you may think, it is different. Healing is putting it back the way it was; saving is correcting it to perfection.

_When in darkened pieces_

_The earth lies_

_The two in one will come_

_Bound with unseen ties_

_To heal the earth, she comes_

_Borne on eagle's wings_

_To repair what was broken_

_A song he sings_

_--XX XX--_

_Yet if into the darkness_

_One of the two slips_

_The connected mind,_

_The delicate soul rips_

_The Fallen returns_

_Evil plan in mind_

_The serpent wears a_

_Guise, outwardly kind_

_--XX XX--_

_One shall fight with_

_Ancient spear_

_The other comes_

_Riding clouds of fear_

_As they fight_

_The world dies_

_Given to Beelzebub_

_Lord of the Flies_

_--XX XX--_

_Whence comes he,_

_The life bringer._

_But also bears death's_

_Stony finger._

_And so the human mind,_

_Like an open book_

_He reads the deepest soul_

_With one look._

_--XX XX--_

_Hope shall vanish_

_Lost to Time_

_Armageddon comes_

_Unless they combine_

_But can parts so different _

_Fit back together?_

_Or must they perish_

_Brother and sister?_

_--XX XX--_

_Will the end come close,_

_Unbidden?_

_Seek the source of love, _

_Finding what is hidden._

_Behind the mask _

_An evil resides_

_And on anger_

_Despair rides_

_--XX XX--_

_To see the light,_

_Look yonder_

_Wait not to fix_

_The blunder_

_Ware the evil _

_Within_

_Lest a new battle_

_Begin_

_--XX XX--_

_Know thy friend_

_Now enemy_

_And forgive thy enemy_

_Now friend_

_A puzzle remains_

_Waiting to be found_

_For thousand years it lay_

_Buried in the ground_

_--XX XX--_

_Use the key_

_And do not fear_

_For it's light will_

_Always be near_

_Dust to dust_

_Ashes to ashes_

_Soul to soul_

_Heart to heart_

_And ever forward march_

_--XX XX--_

Chapter 1: The Two in One

Mara was running away from the spreading darkness. "Come back, Mara!" her brother shouted. She kept running. Her long white hair streamed out behind her, as she fought to escape the invisible bonds that kept her from leaving. "Mara, you must heal them!" Michael shouted at her.

"No! I'll just kill them, like I did last time!" she cried, falling to the ground. Though she closed her eyes, the terrible images that she had seen filled her mind. To keep herself from seeing them, her eyes flew open.

Mara blinked. She was staring at a white roof, not the darkening landscape of her apparent dream. Michael was snoring lightly in the bed next to hers, mumbling something indistinct every so often. Her white hair was cut shoulder length now, and she was about seven years older. Mara sat up and slowly got out of bed. Today was the day that they were going to visit their Uncle Fung's temple. She walked over to the dresser which was covered in many multi-colored hair dye bottles. Randomly picking one of them up, she proceeded to the bathroom.

After a quick shower, Mara checked to see what color she had. It was a neon purple-blue color. She placed a drop onto her finger and touched it to one strand of hair. Instantly, all of her hair was that same color. She returned to the bedroom. Once there, she rifled through the clothes in their closet, wondering what she was going to wear today. There wasn't much selection, seeing as most of their clothes had been packed.

As she tried and discarded several outfits, her twin brother woke up. "So, Mara, what color is it today?"

"Purple-blue. I'll throw the rest of them into the suitcase." she responded without looking up.

Finally, she decided on pale blue camo cargo pants and her favorite black tank, the one with a dragon on it.

As she finished tying her combat boots, her brother came back from his shower. His porcupine hair perpetually leaned to his left, no matter what he did and there was one bunch of it that would never stand up, constantly falling across his face. Instead of his whole head turing color, just the right half of the spikes were streaked with purple-blue. He went over to the closet and examined what was left.

Mara stood up and walked back over to the dresser. With one sweep of her arm, she dumped the rest of the dye bottles into the open bag beneath. Then, she picked up a knife that was left sitting on the dresser and slipped it into her pocket.

Michael came over and zipped up the bag. "So, how long are we staying at this temple place?" he asked. He had black baggy jeans and a black t-shirt that read "Duct tape is like the force: It had a dark side, a light side, and it holds the universe together."

"However long it takes for our parents to work out the divorce shit." Mara replied, spitting "out parents" as though is was a foul piece of food.

"I wonder how it will be in China? Will it be hot, like in Phoenix, or friken cold, like in Juneau? Will it be a dry as Cali, or wet as here, in DC?" he spoke the questions that had been flooding his head since they had first found out about the trip.

"Relax, we've got an extremely long and boring flight first. Now we can't even watch DVDs or listen to music on our iPods. Stupid airport rules. Not to mention that once we get into Shanghai, I have no idea what to do. I suppose Uncle Fung will come get us."

Michael glanced down at his watch. "Oh crap. We better leave, or we'll miss our flight." He grabbed the bulging bag and walked through the door, casually grabbing his backpack on the way. In there was his life: photos, skateboard, numerous balls, and his notebook. From the covering flap, hung a pendant on a leather tie. It was an obsidian dragon that formed an sÓ over a circle of blood red, partially see-through stone.

Mara picked her matching black backpack as well and followed him out. On her flap was a key chain that had the words ÓMess with me andÉÓ and showed a red dragon flaming. From her neck hung, on a thin silver chain, a silver dragon, sÓ shaped and laying over a circle of jade.

Without a word to their parents, who were glowering at each other across the table, they grabbed their matching black and gray sweatshirts and exited the house into the drizzle outside.

The two of them walked a block to the nearest metro stop and planned a route to the airport. No one on the metro paid them any mind, and they took the last seats in the last car. Mara stared out the window as the dark walls rushed by. She pondered how it had come to this. Her father was a big business man and he had dragged them all over the country to places that his work took him, the latest being Washington DC. It was here that their mother had fallen in love with the city and they were due to move again. Their mother had put her foot down and refused to move again. Thus, the divorce papers in the works.

Michael was considering how he was going to spend the long flight with no form of entertainment. All their books were in storage in another state because they were too bulky to transport. - -I could always sleep, but for that long?- - He counted the money he had and determined he could spend about thirty dollars on books, with plenty left over for emergencies: he had his own credit card his father had given him. Mara had one too, but she didn't usually buy anything. He was jolted from his thoughts when the driver announced their arrival at Washington National Airport.

The two of them left the metro stop. They went to their terminal, B-25 and set their stuff down. "Mara, ya think ya can watch our stuff? I'm gonna go get some reading material."

She nodded, not looking up from the 3D puzzle in her hand. She had a ton of them in her backpack, but this one was one of her favorites. There were several interlocking rings that formed one whole ring. It was one that seemed to have a different solution every time.

Mara was still working on it when Michael came back, five books tucked under his arm. They were hardbacks and at least three inches thick each. "They're not going to be happy when you come back with those." she said as he sat next to her.

"'They' won't care. It'll be one or the other." he reminded her.

She flashed him a darkly angry look and her deep brown eyes made it all the more piercing. "I know. Either way, whoever it is won't like it."

"Well they don't have to like it." he countered, rolling his gray eyes.

Twenty minutes later, they were settled into their seats in first class. Mara continued to fiddle with the ring puzzle. Michael pulled out his notebook and black gel pen he always used. Then he selected a book and began to read, making notes in tiny scribbles in his notebook.

After a while, Mara solved the puzzle and slipped the ring onto her finger. She pulled out another one of her puzzles that seemed to have a different solution every time. All the ones like that were presents from their Uncle Fung. As she worked the pieces, the plane bumped and it fell from her hands. It fell behind her seat, to the person behind her. She shifted in her seat and looked over the top of her seat.

"Is this puzzle yours?" a boy about their age asked, holding it up. He was wearing a green sweatshirt and ordinary baggy jeans.

"Umm, yeah."

The boy smiled. "I love these kind of puzzles. I brought some of my own. You want to work on them together?"

Mara looked at her brother. She started to ask her brother, but stopped herself. - -I'm 16, why am I asking for my brother's permission. I can do whatever I want, he's not the boss of me.- - She stepped out into the aisle and sat in the empty seat next to the boy.

"I'm Teran by the way."

"Mara. Now, let's see those puzzles of yours." she said with a smile.

MANY MILES AWAY

The Xiaolin warriors were in a face off against Jack Spicer. Jack was holding on to one edge of a round disk. It was molded into the shape of a sleeping face. Omi was tugging on the other side. "Omi I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown! My Mantis Flip Coin against your Fancy Feet."

"Name your challenge, Jack Spicer."

"Hide and Seek. The Oracle's Mouth will hide and we'll have to find it."

The mountain that they stood upon split into many uneven chunks. The Oracle's Mouth ended up in the middle of the slowly rotating pieces. It disappeared. "Gon Yi Tampai!"

Omi jumped from piece to piece, ever looking for the Shen Gong Wu. Jack put his hover-pack to use and flew around. "If I were a Shen Gong Wu, where would I hide?" Omi questioned himself. Realizing that the wu would probably be embedded in the bits of rock, he decided to look closer at each lump.

"Omi doesn't stand a chance. But, it can't hurt to cheat." Jack dove down at Omi and knocked him off the piece of mountain he was on. Omi grabbed the edge with his fingers. As he did, he turned to his right and saw the Oracle's Mouth, it's dull clay masked by the shadows. He dug it out and held it up.

"Jack Spicer, you have lost." Omi told Jack as the mountain rearranged itself. And so, Jack trailed away, the ghostly Wuya following after giving both Jack and the Xiaolin warriors a dirty look.

BACK AT THE TEMPLE

"I know ya said it would give a prophecy, but how do we get this durned thing to work, Master Fung?" Clay asked later when they had returned to the temple.

"Use it the way you would any Shen Gong Wu. It will give two verses of a prophecy at a time. Until the next two verses become relevant. It is very unpredictable. The only down side is that once you hear the two verses, it will become impossible to repeat them in any way. Oracle's Mouth."

The eyes on the carving opened and the mouth began to move. It spoke in a rich, warm, deep voice.

_When in darkened pieces_

_The earth lies_

_The two in one will come_

_Bound with unseen ties_

_To heal the earth, she comes_

_Borne on eagle's wings_

_To repair what was broken_

_A song he sings_

Silence followed its words. "Why does everything have to be in riddles?" Raimundo complained.

"That was more direct than I recall it being. When Dashi used it, it was always very vague." Dojo puzzled.

"Well, we know that it won't come true anytime soon." Kimiko reassured them.

BUT WHAT THEY DIDN'T KNOW IS...

But what they didn't know is that at that exact moment the plane landed and the twins plus their new friend got off, war started all over the world. Chase Young had found a new way to work his world domination using the evil that exists in all humanity's hearts. So, the world was broken into sections, all fighting all the other countries.

ANYWAY, BACK WITH THE IGNORANT AND BLISSFUL MONKS

Kimiko tried to get on the Internet to contact Keiko. No even her WiFi could get her on and it had yet to fail her. "That's strange. I wonder why it's all screwed up."

"Young monks, there are some people I wish you to meet." Master Fung called the monks to the main hall. Standing there, bright light filtering in through the door behind, was a boy, backpack in hand. Outside were two more people, another boy and a girl. The girl was finishing unloading the last bag from the "Eagle Coaches" taxi. Briefly as she stood up and walked away from the van, the painted eagle wings on the side matched up perfectly with her shoulders. By the time the four dragons arrived, Master Fung was already in conversation with the new arrivals.

"Hey, Uncle Fung. How've you been?" said one of the boys. He had black hair that stuck up in such a way, it reminded them of a porcupine. One side was dyed a neon purple-blue color. His gray eyes glanced around the room. He embraced Master Fung.

"Ah Michael. I have been very well, thank you. How is my sister?"

"Mom's not doing to well. She fell in love with DC and Dad's got to move again. She filed for divorce and we had to come here until it gets resolved."

A girl that looked exactly like the boy except her shoulder length hair was all dyed the purple-blue color and her deep brown eyes darted around the room. She had pale blue camo cargo pants. Behind her was a boy who looked like he was definitely not from the same family.

"Yo, Uncle Fung." the girl said as she gave Master Fung a huge hug.

"And how's my little dark angel?" he asked.

"Fine. I love the puzzles you send." she smacked her forehead. "Oh, where are my manners. Uncle Fung, this is my friend Teran. Can he stay here with us?"

"Of course Mara. But under one condition. Tell me why he has no other place to stay."

"I ran away from my foster home. They were really lousy parents. So I ran to China. I have enough money to spend on an apartment and know enough to get a job." Teran answered.

"You may train with the monks if you would like. It has other rewards besides that of money. More valuable and mystical rewards. We do not live richly, but we do not starve."

"Sure. I could use a little martial arts know how."

"Oh Uncle Fung, you're so nice!" Mara said, giving the old monk another huge hug.

"And I too have forgotten my manners. May I present my young monks: Omi, the dragon of water, Kimiko, the dragon of fire, Raimundo, the dragon of wind, and Clay, the dragon of earth." He pointed to each of them in turn. "Young monks, this is my niece and nephew, Mara and Michael. They're twins. And that is Teran, Mara's friend." They all shook hands, greeting each other. The monks led the three newcomers to where they would sleep.

Mara was to stay with Kimiko, Michael with Raimundo, and Teran with Omi. (He would have stayed with Clay, but Clay takes up too much space in his room.) As Michael pushed through the curtain doorway, his bag slipped from his shoulder. His soccer ball, which had been hurriedly crammed on top, rolled out. Raimundo stopped it and dribbled it for a couple minutes.

"So, Miguel, you play futbol?" he asked using the Spanish pronunciation of Michael's name and of soccer. "You don't mind me calling you that, do you?"

"Naw. It's okay. I've been called stranger variations on my name than that. And yes, I play soccer. And just about every other sport, too. Video-games included." Michael responded.

"You wanna go one on one later?"

"You're on."

In Kimiko's room, Mara was trying to help Kimiko with her WiFi problem. After a few minutes, Mara's confused frown turned into a smile. "Got it. I can't connect to any legal network, but I can get you a pirate signal. Actually, I already did. Let's see what's going on."

The two of them scanned the news site Mara had pulled up. Mara's frown came back. "What does this mean?" Kimiko asked, unable to catch the reason behind many of the statements.

"This is all propagandistic crap. But, reading between the lines will give you a view of what's actually going on. Let's see." She scanned the page again. "Methinks that we are in the midst of another world war, each country for itself. Bloody brilliant. Oh, hell no." Mara blew a strand of hair that had strayed across her face, out of her eyes. "They've decided to use nuclear weapons."

Kimiko understood the implications instantly, having heard the prophecy. She opened her mouth to tell Mara, but no sound came out. She remembered that she would not be able to tell. So, instead she said, "What do you think happened?"

Mara snorted. "How do you think all the other wars got started? There's been a misunderstanding between two countries, as they consequently try to invade each other, they pull other countries in. Think of the a bunch of people in a box. Two of them start fighting and accidentally one of them hits a bystander. Then the bystander joins in and accidentally hits someone else, et cetera."

"How did you get so good a reading between the lines?"

"Years of practice. Nothin more than that." she shrugged the question off with a relatively vague answer. "You wanna go spar? I won't go easy on you cause you're a girl."

Kimiko smiled. "Let's go. I swear, it gets so annoying to fight the boys when they won't even hit me. It'll be good to have a challenge for once." Then, laughing and talking, they headed out to the practice grounds.

Teran was talking with Clay in the kitchen. It seemed that Teran was a skinny Clay; he ate everything in sight. As he shoveled down Clay's fiery chili, Omi stared at him. "Where does all the food go?" he asked extremely confused, seeing as Teran didn't gain any weight or get bigger around. Soon the kitchen was empty.

"So, Teran, whacha wanna do?" Clay asked the strange newcomer.

"Do you have anywhere I could practice bull-riding?"

"I'm sure we cood fin' some place to practice." he said as he led Teran out to find a good place. Omi was left standing there, still terribly confused. As Teran passed through the doorway, he waved his hand over the dying little fruit tree just there. It seemed to stand a little straighter and turn a healthier shade of green. Omi blinked and rubbed his eyes. He determined that is was just a trick of the sunlight.

By this time, the practice ground was getting a little full. Raimundo and Michael were playing soccer, Kimiko and Mara were sparring, and Clay and Teran were both taking turns riding the bull. The two girls decided to take a break and watch the bull-riders. It was Teran's turn and he was bouncing up and down as the bull tried to toss him off. He caught Mara's eye and smiled, but the slight move of attention caused him to unseat and go flying over the bull's long horns. The bull stopped bucking and stood, waiting for Clay.

Mara noticed that Teran was bleeding. With a gasp, she ran over and turned him face up. He had a huge gash from the horns across his stomach. Mara held her hands over the wound and Kimiko and Clay watched, curious. Concentrating, she scrunched up her face and bit her lip. Soft white light came from her fingertips and began to knit the flesh back together. "Whoa." the two Xiaolin dragons muttered in an awed tone. When Mara was done, she removed her hands and watched as Teran sat up. He patted the area where he had been hurt.

"I'm alive!"

The burst of humor caused everyone to wind down, collapsing into fits of laughter, after the suspenseful moment.


	2. The Healer and the Fallen

Chapter 2: The Healer and The Fallen

LATER THAT AFTERNOON

"I never mentioned that Mara was the Dragon of Healing?" Master Fung said, trying to remember when he had introduced his niece and nephew.

"Uhh, no. We wouldn't be asking if you had." Raimundo snapped, arms crossed.

"It is habit I suppose. I promised never to tell anyone without her permission because of something that happened with her many years ago. I will not reveal what happened, but all you need to know is that it scared her a lot and caused her to become afraid of her birthright. Only recently has she begun to use her powers again." Master Fung told them.

"It obviously still haunts her." Kimiko observed.

"Yes it does, but she truly is a good soul. If people are in need, she'll jump up and help them. When you are in trouble, you could never ask for a more steadfast friend. She will do everything she can to save you."

"I have to admit I'd been wondering how an ordinary girl would be able to---- uhhh, do that thing. I understand now." Kimiko remarked.

The monks nodded, realizing what Kimiko had. "We will go back to our training then, Master." Omi said. When Master Fung nodded, the other three monks groaned and sighed. Trudging after Omi, they made their way out to the training field again. Mara, Michael, and Teran were waiting for them outside.

"So what was that about?" Teran asked. "I hope I didn't cause any problems."

"It was just something that we had to ask Master Fung about. Don't worry, it wasn't _important._" Raimundo said.

Omi looked at him confusedly. "Raimundo, it was of the utmost importance."

Kimiko and Clay picked up on Raimundo's meaning and attempted to shut Omi up. "Ignore him. He thinks that everything we say to Master Fung is important. Let's get back to our respective activities." she said, while Clay clapped a hand over Omi's mouth.

"I dunno. I'm kinda hungry." Teran said.

"Oh yeah. I forgot to mention that Teran cleaned out the kitchen. An' he still didn' gain any weight." Clay said.

Kimiko and Raimundo groaned. "Now we have another Clay. It's going to cost a fortune to feed all of us now. Speaking of which, how does Master Fung manage that? Where does he get the money from?"

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TEMPLE...

Master Fung was locking the front door to the Temple and heading into the city. As he reached the city, he realized that it was a little louder than usual and people were waving banners and shouting out the name of a military leader. Seeing a thin man leaning against the wall, he walked over.

"What is going on friend?" he asked.

"Where have you been, friend? Cloistered in a temple?" the man replied.

"Actually yes. I run a temple."

The man straightened up. "Honorable Master Monk. I had no idea. It's one big free for all out there in the world and everyone's been going crazy over this guy because they believe that he will save the country from the rest of the world. That's about all I know Honorable Master Monk."

Master Fung put a hand on the man's should. "Do not worry. You have told me all I need to know." Without another word, he headed off in the direction of a large bank.

Upon entering, he was ushered to the top floor, where all the high business transactions took place.

"Ah, the Honorable Master Fung. Come for another withdrawal?" said the fat bank manager.

"Yes. I wish to withdraw all of Fung Industries International's assets. Immediately." Master Fung snapped. Yes, Master Fung was the owner of Fung Industries International, a rather large and profitable company. When he had gotten into the corporation, he realized he did not really want to be a businessman, but instead, he wished to be a monk, and could afford to be.

A little while later, Master Fung exited the bank, followed by a huge armored truck, which he entered. The truck drove to the temple and parked out front. Master Fung quickly unloaded all the contents of the truck and stashed them somewhere. (I won't say where, all I'll say is that he made me swear I'd never tell where it was. I'm on thin ice now, telling you guys that he owns a huge corporation. The monks don't know...so don't tell them, or I'll have to hunt you down for getting me into trouble with this Master Monk).

MEANWHILE...WITH THE ONCE AGAIN IGNORANT MONKS (they're not so blissful this time)

Teran's and Clay's stomachs rumbled in unison as they were sparring. They both dropped the staffs they were holding, at the same time a clutched their stomachs in agony. It was quite hilarious to the onlookers.

"Need...food!" Teran gasped comically.

"Must have...somethin'...to...eat" Clay mumbled.

Michael, coming up with a brilliant idea on the spot, whistled a note so high no one else could hear it, except for Mara, and held it. The Golden Tiger Claws zoomed out of nowhere and smacked Teran on the head.

"Ow!" he muttered, rubbing his head.

Mara shot her brother a vicious glance and he shrugged.

Clay picked up the Golden Tiger Claws and looked at them extremely puzzled. Shen Gong Wu had never come flying out of the vault like that before. Teran straightened up and took them from Clay. "Golden Tiger Claws!" he shouted, destination in mind. He leapt in and the rest of them followed.

They arrived in an enormous all-you-can-eat buffet with food from all around the world. Nobody paid any attention to them, assuming they had already paid for the food. Teran and Clay heaped their plates full of food, earning them disapproving stares from a few of the richer customers. They were still in their practice robes, which were full of sweat, resulting in several disgusted looks from the diners.

Teran and Clay didn't care; they just dove in. Shoveling the food in just as fast as they could. The others were a little more delicate in their consumption. Clay cut out about the fifth heaping plate full, but Teran just kept on going. It took him almost an hour and a half to clean out most of the buffet. Then, before anyone realized that they hadn't paid and ate nearly all the food, they dragged Teran back to the Temple.

Just in time too, because at the exact moment they resumed practicing, Master Fung entered the training field. "Monks, it is time for meditation. Follow me."

Grumbling slightly, the monks followed him. They settled down in the scroll room, staring at the shelves alarmed before realizing that Master Fung did not want them to study. "You will meditate until I come and get you." Master Fung informed them.

He left the room. Teran was wishing he hadn't eaten that much because now he was tired. As a result, he fell asleep, pretending to be meditating. No one noticed or really cared.

After about an hour, Master Fung returned and Mara elbowed Teran, noticing he didn't react to Master Fung's voice. "Wha?" he asked, still half asleep. Master Fung raised and eyebrow at this, but did not otherwise appear to care.

Outside, night had fallen. The monks headed off to bed, unnaturally weary. Unbeknownst to them, a figure with bright red hair was standing outside. Jack Spicer, of course. He planned to make a raid on the temple. Now his job would be made a little easier.

Except that Michael was still awake. He was making notes in his notebook once again. He heard a crash come from the vault. Ever curious, he leapt out the window and sprinted toward the sound.

Jack had dropped the Two Ton Tunic, after he had activated it. "Stupid!" he muttered to himself. He turned to quickly escape through the door. A boy blocked his way. Jack knew that the temple had gotten two new students temporarily. He figured that this boy did not know who he was. "Get out of my way loser. Dare you trifle with Jack Spicer, Evil Boy Genius and Prince of Darkness?!"

Michael's eyebrow twitched up. "I guess that 'genius' in your language must translate to 'stupid idiot' in English." he laughed. Jack's face slowly grew red with rage. Michael continued, ignoring him. "I mean, come on, what genius would drop a Shen Gong Wu after he had activated it?"

By this time, Jack's face had turned the same color as his hair. "phtwahhoshpht!" he sputtered.

Michael laughed scathingly. "Now the 'genius' can't even speak." Jack darted to the side in an attempt to escape. "Oh no, you don't." Michael muttered and started humming a little tuneless song.

Jack found himself unable to move. He caught sight of Michael's glowing gray eyes. "Oh, not you too!" he groaned.

Michael smiled and changed the song a little. Jack felt his feet swept out from under him. He found himself hanging by his ankles. "Hey! What's the big idea?"

Michael smile grew wider. The song changed once again. This time Jack was mercilessly shaken up and down, emptying his pockets on the vault floor. Out fell several random items, the most hilarious, though, being a fuzzy hot pink diary, belonging to him. How Michael knew that; the lock broke open when it crashed to the ground. Michael began to toy with Jack.

MEANWHILE, BACK IN THE TEMPLE

Mara was dreaming. She had to be. This handsome guy was standing in front of her, coming from nowhere. "How would you like to be treated like the royalty you are? It's not everyone that can heal, after all."

He offered a tempting proposition. "You always knew you were better than Michael, but no one could see it. I am offering you a chance to be the greatest in the entire world."

If you haven't guessed it by now, the guy was none other than Chase Young himself. Mara didn't know that. Besides, he sounded so persuasive. "Will you step up and accept your destiny?" He held out a delicate and tiny tiara, made from silver with diamonds sparkling in the light of the full moon.

"I accept." she said, as he placed the crown upon her head.

THE NEXT MORNING

The four monks were awake before Mara, Michael, and Teran. The slipped silently into the kitchen for breakfast. There, on the table was the Oracle's mouth. They exchanged glances; none of them had taken it out of the vault.

Master Fung soon arrived as well. He noticed it and the confused looks on the monks faces. "Ah, the next to stanzas must have become relevant."

Sure enough, at that moment, the Oracle's Mouth spoke.

_Yet if into the darkness_

_One of the two slips_

_The connected mind,_

_The delicate soul rips_

_The Fallen returns_

_Evil plan in mind_

_The serpent wears a_

_Guise, outwardly kind_

With that also came the remembering of the previous verse. This verse was blatantly obvious, not at all vague. "I propose we search their stuff to figure out which of them is most prone to ---- the, um, action." Raimundo suggested. Master Fung was about to protest, but changed his mind for reasons only known to himself. It could have been because he realized necessity comes before privacy.

They snuck into Raimundo's room and took out the only thing that would reveal Michael's personality: his mysterious notebook. They read it. It was lots of battle plans, ways to take over the world, plots, and general stuff like that.

"Holy smokes! This kid is psycho!" Raimundo commented.

"So that's what he's always making notes on." Kimiko mused.

In Mara's stuff, they found nothing out of the ordinary, just normal girl stuff. They missed the tiny tiara clutched in her hand as she slept sweetly. They did notice that any trace of color their hair had had the night before, was gone. Mara's hair had gone totally white again and Michael's was black.

"One thing's been bugging me. In order for this new part to come of the prophecy, everything from the other must have been revealed. If so, just who is Michael then?" Kimiko mentioned after they were back in the kitchen.

Calmly, Master Fung explained. "Did you think that Mara would have powers and her twin not. Michael is the Dragon of Music. The extent of his abilities is not fully known. He can use songs to manipulate anything as well as add power to the words of already created songs. Neither of them are elemental dragons, music and healing not being elements, but are more like supplementary dragons."

An awkward silence followed his words.

"So, it is decided then. We shall watch Michael most closely to make sure he does not fall to the Heylin side." Omi said and received nods of agreement from all but Master Fung, who, incidentally, remained neutral about the whole thing.

**Now, I have to warn you, Chapter 3 is going to be very long and I am still working on it. So, it might be a while till I can update...probably not until January 8. So I give you this as a Christmas present. Okay? Okay...**


	3. Spears, Demons, and Clouds of Fear

Chapter 3: Spears, Demons, and Clouds of Fear

Watching Michael turned out to be a lot harder than they had anticipated. Although he was a Dragon, he was a non-elemental, music not being an element (duh!). He seemed to have a sixth sense about when he was being observed.

Those times, he would wander aimlessly for hours before they realized that he was just having them on. Whenever they attempted to read what new things he had written in the notebook by randomly dropping in on him, he would snap the book closed.

Admittedly, they weren't doing a very good job of keeping him from suspecting. Omi would follow him around and try to go everywhere with him. And when asked if something was wrong, Omi would smile his huge fake smile that lets you know something is wrong. They'd watched him while he slept because they were watching for Chase.

On the other hand, none of them noticed that Mara looked happier than she had since she had arrived. Of course, that could have something to do with the fact they were all totally focused on Michael. Or they could have thought it was due to Teran, seeing as he was such a comedian.

What they failed to notice as they watched Michael was that Mara would often disappear during the night. She was waiting for the guy to come back to see what her decision was. She had made up her mind that night. He had understood her through and through and had seen her deepest desire.

All she wanted was for her worth to be recognized, and no else but him had seen that. She would accept her destiny to rule. After all, she was descended from royalty; she knew it in her heart. No one could have convinced her otherwise now that she had the tiara. It had fit perfectly. Both on her head and with her personality. Something was nagging in the back of her mind, but as she wore the tiara at night, her doubts were silenced. But Chase still did not come.

CHASE'S LAIR

It wasn't that he didn't care. Actually, he couldn't show up at the temple since the monks were watching Michael so closely. Also, the fact that Michael was watching Mara closely in turn, made it even harder to find time to show up there.

Wuya and Jack weren't helping things either. Jack kept banging on Chase's door at all hours, trying to work up favor with him. Wuya kept pestering him too. She would nag about collecting Shen Gong Wu and attacking the temple. She did not understand the delicacy of his plan.

"Wuya, please, collect Jack and get out of my lair."

Wuya frowned. "Why?"

Chase rolled his eyes, but kept his calm demeanor. "Because I can't think with both of you annoying me. Because I have better things to do than play host. Because this is MY lair, not yours." With that, he turned and walked away to another part of his lair.

Wuya stuck her hands on her ghostly hips. "Because it's my lair...blah, blah, blah!" she mimicked. Nevertheless, she collected Jack and left. It was dangerous to push Chase's patience. You never knew when he'd suddenly go dragon on you.

After they were gone, Chase gave a huge sigh of relief. "Time to implement Part II of my plan. And there's no better time than tonight."

THAT NIGHT

Mara sat on the Temple roof, all alone, tiara placed on her head. She and her brother had kept up with their daily routine of color changing since the color from the day before always disappeared during the night. As midnight came, her hair went glowing white again.

Watching silently from one of the other roofs was Chase. He was obscured by shadow from one of the taller buildings. He teleported so that he stood next to her. She didn't look up. But she spoke. "I knew you hadn't forgotten me. I knew you'd come back."

After his initial shock of her sensing his presence had passed he answered her. "Of course I wouldn't. After all, you are the most special one. I didn't introduce myself properly last time. I'm Chase Young."

At that she looked up to stare him in the eyes. "I accepted your offer. No one here seems to care about me, they're too focused with Michael." she spat out her brother's name. "So I've decided that I'll go with you. And if you want, I'll help you get rid of these annoying monks."

Chase was surprised. His plan was working so much better than he had hoped. The tiara was designed to feed on her hate, make it come out. She must have had a lot of stored up hate for it to work that well.

"Very well. How would you like to become my apprentice? I'll lead you to greatness and help you to fulfill your true potential."

"I pledge myself to your teachings, master. I shall be the best student you've ever had." Mara said, getting onto one knee and bowing her head before him.

"I'm sure you will be. Now, rise and come with me, it is time to begin your training." He held out his hand politely. She touched it and was transported to Chase's lair. "Welcome to your new home."

THE NEXT MORNING

Once again, upon waking, the monks discovered the Oracle's Mouth sitting on the table. Master Fung was already there. Michael and Teran were still sleeping having yet to adjust to the Temple's morning routine. Kimiko had noticed Mara's absence, but assumed she had gone out for a walk like she had often these days.

The Oracle's Mouth began its recitation again.

_One shall fight with_

_Ancient spear_

_The other comes_

_Riding clouds of fear_

_As they fight_

_The world dies_

_Given to Beelzebub_

_Lord of the Flies_

"Wait. When did the other stanzas come true? I thought we were watching Michael's every move." Raimundo asked them.

"Perhaps you were worried about the wrong twin." Master Fung suggested, showing no emotion whatsoever.

"Mara! But she never seemed like she would. Besides, healing is a good talent, not one that can be used for evil." Kimiko said.

"Healing is for everyone. There are medics on both sides during a war." Master Fung said, once again, not betraying any emotion.

"That's different." Kimiko said stubbornly, although she knew it was a lost argument.

"It is no different. Each side views the other as wrong, regardless of who really is. We can never know who really is for each of us have our points of view." Master Fung added.

"Well, now we know who'll be------ um, on the one side. The least we can do is find the, um, weapon to help Michael. New assignment everyone. Look through the scrolls to find any mention of it so maybe we can find it." Raimundo ordered.

MANY HOURS LATER

The four monks were in the scroll room when Michael and Teran woke up. The two of them wandered in, still sleepy. "Anyone seen Mara?" Teran yawned. "I need to give her back one of her puzzles."

The four monks exchanged looks. "Teran, I don't think Mara's coming back." Kimiko said gently.

"Where'd she go?" he demanded, the facts not really sinking into his sleepy brain.

"Mara's gone with Chase. She's no longer on our side."

"Why?" he demanded again, this time, the reality sank into his mind.

"I know why." To everyone's surprise, Michael spoke up. "I've always been the one to take care of her. No one else really cared about her. Our mother was fond of me for my musical gift, but because Mara had killed our Aunt and Uncle-"

"Killed! How?" Omi broke in.

"I was getting to that. They had been caught in the middle of a gang fight and were badly wounded. My mother knew that Mara could heal. She was told to heal them. She tried, but had no control over her gift. She killed them instead. She can still kill people with her gift, when she hates them enough.

"But it wasn't an isolated incident. Before this, our father had doted on Mara. But since she had killed his little sister, he was angry at her all the time. She grew scared of her power. When another Aunt and Uncle were mugged in the park, we were with them. The mugger left us alone because we were only nine and not much of a threat. I told Mara to heal them, but she refused and ran away. She was scared she'd kill them again. They died anyway. I think Mara blamed herself for all of their deaths, but it gave her a reason to seal herself away from everyone but me. Because we're twins, it would have been really hard to distance herself from me. We're sort of connected.

"She despised our father from that point on. He was always mad at her and blaming her. Our mother ignored Mara most of the time, having only wanted a son. I think she resented the fact that I receive all the attention. I think she often believed that she didn't exist in this world. When you guys started to follow me around and just ignore her, her hate grew again. That made her easy prey for your Chase Young guy."

"But I didn't ignore her!" Teran protested.

"Yes you did. You were off doing your own thing too. She felt like she didn't have any friends left."

Teran sank to his knees in sorrow. "I guess I'm so used to being alone. I'm like Mara. I've distanced myself from everyone so much I didn't notice when my one real friend disappeared."

"Don't blame yourself. We're all to blame." Kimiko consoled him.

"Come on Teran, let's go for a walk. It'll help you calm down." Michael said patting Teran's back. Teran rose to his feet again and followed Michael out.

Clay turned back to his reading. He found the mention of a spear and read closer what was around it. "Hey, Y'all come look at this."

Raimundo read it aloud. "The Godlike fights the Darkness, — , um, weapon in hand. Bright shining silver destroys the legions of the dark, like a moon piercing the night. Warm gold inlaid, wrought of love, disperses cold searing sorrow. Fire laced crystal shaft, ruin of icy stone hearts. Two parts of one, forever in conflict."

Stunned silence followed. "The, um, lance, that's a good word for it, has a name. The Phoenix Spear. That-----, grrr, lance is what we need to find. No location written though." Clay said

"That's interesting. We can say the thing when it comes in a name, but not on its own. That aside, how are we going to find that Phoenix Spear?" Raimundo said thoughtfully.

"Lemme check something." Kimiko said and pulled out her PDA. Since Mara had gotten her the pirate signal, she could surf the web just like before. She felt a twinge of guilt using it, but shook it off as she looked up what she wanted to. "Check this out guys. How could we have missed it before? Mara's name means 'dark' and Michael name means 'one who is like God'. We should have guessed that their names would fit them so well. But it also applies to what's written there." She did a quick search on the Phoenix Spear. "Oh and that, er, lance is probably not a Shen Gong Wu. It was supposedly the weapon used to banish the fallen angels to hell, depending on what religion you believe in. I wonder if they know they have a knack for fulfilling prophecies. That scroll is over 2,000 years old!"

"That still does not inform us where to look." Omi said, annoyed.

"Sure it does Omi. Right here." she pointed to the screen. Omi stared, eyes bugging out. "The Museo Civico Correr in Venice. San Marco 52, Ala Napoleonica, piazza San Marco."** A/N That is a real place, but the spear is not really there so you can't go see it…**

"I'm thinkin' we better make durn sure that it ain't a Shen Gong Wu. I'll ask Dojo and check the scroll." Clay said and walked out of the room. He returned five minutes later. "Nope, absolutely certain it ain't."

"Then let us be off to Vence!" Omi said.

"That's Venice! And I agree." Raimundo said, rolling his eyes.

"Shall we collect Michael and Teran?" Kimiko asked.

"Sure, fine with me. We'll pick them up on our way out." Raimundo agreed. The tracked down Dojo again and convinced him this was an important trip. They got on and hunted down Michael and Teran who were wandering around one of the gardens. Once all six of them were ready they set off for Venice.

On the way, Michael asked what was going on. "We've located a , um, long pointy stick that will help you fight Mara." Raimundo said.

Michael gave him a confused look. "A what?"

"A throwy thingy, like a long arrow."

"I don't follow."

"A long pointy thing that you throw! A thing that looks like a big arrow without the fletchings!"

"Why can't you just tell me what it is?"

Raimundo clenched his fists. "Because I can't say the word! What did you call it Clay?"

"A lance."

"Right, a lance that will help you to fight Mara."

"But I don't want to fight Mara." Michael said. "She's my twin."

"Look Michael," Kimiko said, "you need the Phoenix Spear to fight her and have any hope of winning. Since you're evenly matched otherwise, it'll give you an edge."

"But I might hurt her!"

Kimiko rested a hand on his shoulder. "Sometimes we have to hurt the people we love in order to save them."

"We're here!" Dojo called back to them. "Now let's find this thing and leave. I don't much like the idea of being caught stealing from a museum."

"I'm with you. Although, for some reason, I think this is gonna end badly." Raimundo said as they went through the door.

"I wonder why." Kimiko remarked sarcastically.

"Maybe because nothing else usually does." Raimundo shot back.

Kimiko rolled her eyes. "I was being sarcastic. I guess that kind of thing is over your head."

Raimundo mimicked her behind her back. "I was being sarcastic...na na, blah blah!"

Kimiko turned around and clobbered him. He went flying back down the street and into the dirty canal water. Kimiko's hair was fixed the same way it was when they were in New York and it flew about her face when she slugged Raimundo. "Now, can we get in sometime before the museum closes."

Kimiko went first, followed by everyone else, Raimundo last, having had to drag himself back onto the street.

The first thing they noticed when the stepped through the doors was the huge desk and guard sitting behind it. Cautiously and casually, they walked past him, trying not to appear suspicious. Unfortunately, that didn't work so well. Michael and Teran could have passed as natives, mostly because they spoke the language, but the others were fairly conspicuous.

Teran said good morning to the guard in Italian, and once they were out of earshot, he explained that he had two years of it before he had run away. They spread out to search for the Phoenix Spear. Ironically, Michael was the one who found it.

"It must be your destiny." Kimiko remarked once they had all collected in front of it. The marvelous item was tucked away in a little corner and most of the tourists were passing it by. Michael brushed away the three-inch layer of dust that covered the bronze information plaque. It looked as though it hadn't been touched in years.

"Found in a small palazzo in Venice. Appears to be either a ritual spear or a decoration as its delicate crystal shaft would break upon impact." he read aloud. "That's real informative." he snorted. Then he noticed something in the pile of dirt and junk that had accumulated in the corner. He pulled out a piece of notebook paper. "The Phoenix Spear was originally from China, where is was locked in an underground chamber. Obviously it had great significance to the Emperor because he kept it under lock and guard. The shaft is actually made of diamond and hollow. If hit with the correct pitch I believe it will cause an explosion in the hollowed out chamber. Thus contained, it would appear to have flames on the interior. The blade is made of silver with gold inlaid, a difficult process to say the least. There are no seams and it looks to be made of one big piece and it looks painted. Even when no light is shined on this spear, it seems to glow with an unearthly light. My research on this artifact will continue until I have unlocked all its secrets." he read aloud again.

He flipped the scrap of paper over and continued. "My best guess is that it somehow reflects the inner soul of the wielder. I think that if a person were split in two, with the help of this spear, one half would be able to defeat the other and cause them to merge again. Although, as an afterthought, I don't see how one could split oneself in two. Perhaps it is as the 'informative' plaque suggests, just a worthless decoration with no other purpose than that."

Michael paused. "I can't read what it says next. There are a bunch of scribbles and sketches along with a couple sentences that have been crossed out beyond recognition. The person was trying to say something, but didn't know how to say it, I think."

"Excuse me, but may I inquire as to what you youngsters think you're doing." said an elderly man in a crisp voice from behind them. He had a British accent.

"We just wanted to know about this spear. It looks really cool." Kimiko supplied.

The man looked suspicious. "Nice one. What are you really doing? I studied that thing for ten years and not a single person noticed it was there but me. You wouldn't notice it unless you were looking for it."

"Sir, I believe this paper is yours then." Michael said quickly, handing the man the paper he'd just read.

The man's eyes grew wide. "My missing paper. I threw it on the floor all those years ago and never saw it since. It turns out that I needed it. I couldn't remember what I had figured out. You see I was close to something. Yes, oh so close. I was there, but I couldn't quite grasp it. It's there, just beyond the reach of my fingertips. It constantly eludes me, taunting me from just outside my grasp."

"Must be extremely frustrating. I read it and you mentioned something about splitting in two. What if there were two people that were like two halves, but were separate people too. What would happen instead of binding them back together?"

"Are you perhaps referring to twins? I do not know. Any number of things could happen. But one side must always be stronger than the other. That is the way life works."

"Do you think the museum would mind if we borrowed it for a little while?"

The man laughed. "I doubt it. Someone could literally walk out of here with it and the guard up front could care less. However, I did discover that if it finds its rightful owner, or a member of that family, it will shrink for easier storage." He leaned in close to Michael's face. "I'm not a believer in magic, but this spear is teaching me otherwise. There's something else I found out. Something I'm not even sure I believe myself. It's part of a never ending battle between good and evil. Sometimes good wins and sometimes evil, but it is whichever side possesses their special weapon that wins. It has the ability to bring your other half back onto the right side, but it also could push them further into the darkness. It is a spear and therefore it will seek to cleave apart. Be careful of it and remember that it is the wielder that controls the weapon." he stepped back and merged in with the crowds of tourists.

Michael was frozen in place. He shook off the cold feeling settling in his heart and looked up at the spear. It seemed to be calling his name, speaking to him. Forgetting that he was in a museum full of people, he reached up to take it. Teran grabbed his arm.

"Not yet. Too many witnesses. I don't really want to go to jail again." Everyone shot his sidelong glances, curious, but extremely wary now. Teran definitely had a past he wasn't sharing with them, or anyone else for that matter. Despite that, they all say together on a bench, waiting and watching for the opportunity to take the Phoenix Spear.

MEANWHILE, BACK IN CHINA

Mara stood with Chase, observing the terror and destruction his diabolical plan had caused with obvious glee. He knew she could kill just as easily as she could heal and was looking forward to unveiling her in front of the whole world. But first he had to do one last thing. Mara was wearing the tiara all the time now, but even though it fed off her growing hate, it would soon overload. Chase took this opportunity to present her with a gift. He was fully aware that if she found out that she was being used, she could turn on him far more easily than her brother.

"I have something for you. Something befitting one of your station." he said, silkily smooth. Mara looked at him. He produced a beautiful crown from somewhere. It was like the tiara, delicate silver twisted to form vines with silver leaves and flowers of diamond. She took the crown from him and removed her tiara. Then she placed the crown on her head.

"Thank you master. You are too kind to your servant."

"And I think it is time to get you new armor. Come with me and I'll show you." Mara followed Chase into a back room. There, hanging on a wall, was a new set of armor, similar to Chase's in color, but definitely outfitted for a girl. On the front, right beneath where her collar bone would be, was a Chinese dragon curled into an "s" shape. The armor came complete with a helmet that had a shiny black visor, so none could see her face.

A smile slowly grew on her face. "Go on, my apprentice. Try it out. I had it specially commissioned for you."

Chase left the room, leaving Mara to put on the armor. **A/N This may sound like a ChasexOC story, but it most certainly is not! So there. No nasty thoughts about that kinda stuff. **Mara stared at the armor for what seemed like hours. She eventually put it on. The shoulder plates were dark and the top ended with a curve that followed her collar bone. It didn't cover her midriff, and had a circular cutout above her belly button. (If you totally do not understand what the heck I'm talking about, visit my profile to get the website the pics are on and look at the pictures. There are pictures of everyone except Teran right now.) The pants had a wide belt and knee plates and were made complete with black boots. She placed the helmet over her head and became anonymous.

She exited the room and joined Chase in the main hall. He presented her with a sword. "Its name is Eclipse, a name that fits its purpose well." He could not see her face, but he heard a sharp intake of breath. She picked it up delicately, as if it might shatter in her hands. "Now my apprentice, we have places to go, people to make suffer." From behind the mirror surface of the helmet, an evil laugh wafted up. As he listened, Chase wondered if he had made a mistake.

IN VENICE

Eventually, the museum began to clear out. Clay was snoring, leaning up against the wall. Teran had given Omi the puzzle Mara had lent him and he was struggling with it on the floor. "I do not see how the pieces fit together." Omi frustrated, trying to pull it apart with his teeth. Kimiko and Raimundo were watching this with amusement. Teran was leaning back up against the wall, thinking about his life. Michael was staring at the spear and wondering what the old man had meant about the wielder controlling the weapon.

When they noticed that the room was empty, they quickly moved over to the spear. Michael reached up and lifted it of the dusty hooks. He studied it closer and wondered if the spear really did shrink. "Umm…Phoenix Spear…uhhh…Shrink!"

Lo and behold, it shrank to the size of a pen. "Cool." Raimundo said.

"Il Museo Civico Correr si chiuder in dieci minuti. The Museo Civico Correr will be closing in ten minutes. Le Museo Civico Correr sera fermeture en dix minutes. Das Museo Civico Correr wird in 10 Minuten schließen. O Museo Civico Correr estará fechando-se em dez minutos. El Museo Civico Correr se cerrará en diez minutos." An automated woman's voice went through the announcement in six languages.

"Well, I think we better go now." Teran remarked dryly. "We don't want them to find us with that thing."

"Let's stay in Venice for a while. It's one of the best places to visit." Kimiko said persuasively.

"I dunno. Wha'd you think, Clay?" Raimundo said cautiously.

"They have excellent food. It is Italy you know." Kimiko added.

"Well, durn it, I'm up for staying."

"I guess that decides it." Raimundo said. "We're staying here for a while."

The gang headed off down one of the streets. They popped into a café a little later, hungry and exhausted. At which point Clay and Teran ordered everything on the menu. There was a TV playing the news with English subtitles. They watched, realizing that the world had just erupted into chaos.

In China

Chase decided it was time to unveil Mara in front of the world. So, using his _influence, _if you know what I mean, he called for a meeting of all the countries leaders. A couple hours later, everyone was there at the designated place. Each country was asked to bring one hundred people, so you can imagine how crowded that would be.

Chase mounted the stage to the podium. He tapped on the microphone and the area became silent. "I'm sure you are all wondering why I have called you here. The reason is this. Meet my new apprentice, Mara." He presented her helmeted form to all the nations. "She is going to give you a demonstration of why you should never cross me in my new world. Bring forward the one hundred people from your countries."

The hundreds of people were separated into countries and placed in a line. "What do you want me to do to them?" Mara whispered.

"I want you to make them an example. Kill them. Kill them all."

Beneath her mirrored visor, Mara closed her eyes and concentrated. Slowly, the people began to drop, dead, the brains and hearts exploded. The leaders all gasped, though some of them seasoned generals and diabolical dictators; they had never seen anything like this. After a few minutes, all the non-leaders and non-press people had been killed.

"Let that be a warning to you. I can wipe out the entire earth with help from Mara and if you cross me, I will have her wipe your country and you off the face of the earth." He smiled his dragonish smile. "Welcome to my world!" He stepped off the stage followed by Mara. Though no one could see her face, she was smiling. Using her power had never felt so good.

In Venice

"Oh my God! Tell me I did not just see what I saw!" Teran said hysterically.

Michael just sat there, stony faced. Raimundo's and Clay's jaws were dangling wide open, just like almost everyone else in the café. Omi had fallen off his seat and Kimiko stared white-faced and wide-eyed at the screen.

Michael finally spoke. "You did see what everyone else saw too, Teran. That was Mara." he said in a detached manner. "I've got to stop her now, before she hurts anyone else. That Chase Young must have done something to her, because I've never seen her do anything like that. Ever. Not even when she wanted to kill our father."

He pulled out his cell phone and texted Mara. -meet me the open plain near the Temple-

"Venice is nice, but I've got to take care of Mara. Now. So let's go."

They all exited the café and made their way to a hidden place. Then they boarded Dojo and flew off, back to the Temple.

Mara and Chase were already there, waiting. "So you want to surrender, do you?" she asked calmly, arms crossed.

Michael approached her helmeted form. "I was hoping you'd surrender to me."

Mara snorted. "Fat chance. I've had more fun in the past half-hour than in the rest of my life. Do you think I'd just give it up?" She drew her sword. Calling upon its power, she let it feed off the fear of the world and buoy her up high into the sky.

"Hmph," Michael said, half-smile forming on his lips. He brought the pen-sized spear out of his pocket and enlarged it. Then, on impulse, whistled a single note. Fire laced the interior of the shaft, just as the old Englishman had predicted. He whistled another note and shot up into the air after her.

Down below, everyone, including Chase, fled into the Temple. Master Fung merely remarked, "Ah, youthful sibling rivalry." Everyone, including Chase, shot the old monk venomous looks.

Meanwhile, up in the sky, destruction was raining down. Every thrust Mara made was blocked by Michael and his spear. Every time the two weapons touched, explosions shook the earth. Back and forth they went, like partners in some sort of crazy dance. Attack, block, counterattack, block. Although smoke clouded the air around them, the weapons gleamed all the more brightly. Neither sibling was ready to give in, nor did either of them look the least bit exhausted, despite their raging battle.

Slowly the sun sank below the horizon, lighting the whole landscape a blood red. Night came, but that didn't stop the battle. If anything, it seemed to give Mara more energy. But soon enough the moon rose and cast a silver glow over the land. That in turn seemed to give Michael a burst of extra energy. Still, the explosions caused by the two weapons colliding lit up the area around the fighting twins with an intermittent strobe effect. For a time, all the monks could see was the glowing weapons striking against each other. But Mara could still see perfectly well, despite the helmet. Her brother could see just as well, if not better and he was using it to his advantage. He was pressing in on her.

Michael swung the spear, aiming to knock her helmet off, but she parried with ease.

"Dear brother, do you really think you can defeat me?" she taunted, laughing.

"Whoever said I was trying to win?" he shot back. "All I have to do it keep you from winning."

An angry look came over her face. A terrible, twisted look of hatred. And although he could not see it, he felt it bearing down on him. He cringed in pain and Mara took the opportunity. "And now you can die, a failure!" She brought Eclipse down upon him, attempting to stab his heart.

Michael barely raised the spear in time. Nonetheless, Eclipse's edge tore through his sweatshirt and shirt, all the way to his skin, ripping a jagged gash in his shoulder. He grimaced, but stood straight up again. Everything around them was flaming ruin, except the Temple. Calmly, he thrust the Phoenix Spear so quickly Mara could not trace it. She flinched expecting it to ram through her heart. But he had only paid her back the wound she had given him, perfectly equal.

"That hate of yours is going to destroy you, Mara," Michael told her.

"And it will destroy you too!" she screamed, flying at him in a rage.

Down below, the people in the Temple watched. All they could see was two blurs, both Mara and Michael moving too fast for normal eyes to track. Suddenly there was a mighty inhuman screech of pain or fury and one of the blurs began to fall.


	4. With Life Comes Death

**OMG! I am so sorry it took me like four months to get this out. However, here it is. I urge you to enjoy. **

Chapter 4: With Life Comes Death

_Previously_

_Down below, the people in the Temple watched. All they could see was two blurs, both _

_Mara and Michael moving too fast for normal eyes to track. Suddenly there was a mighty inhuman screech of pain or fury and one of the blurs began to fall._

The falling blur was Mara. As she fell she threw Eclipse, her sword and it stabbed Michael in his stomach, right where he had stabbed her with the Phoenix Spear. He joined her in falling, unable to sustain the mental note that kept him floating. But although he was clearly in pain, he pulled Eclipse out and angled his fall toward Mara.

Wielding both weapons of light and dark, he flew at his sister. She faced him and kicked her sword free of his grip. Unable to use the spear at such close quarters, Michael dropped it into the air. Then he and Mara grappled, all the while, rushing toward the ground.

Suddenly, she thrust the heel of her hand into his chest and thrust him away. He flew back into the air. Then he began to fall once more. As he did, he saw the Phoenix Spear falling near him. He leaned to the side, bringing it within grasp.

Beneath him, Mara saw Eclipse, for some reason falling faster than the spear. She grabbed it and held it in front of her as Michael was diving toward her, spear pointed at her heart. A glance over her shoulder showed her that he was too late, the ground too quickly approaching. She turned over, and held the sword point at the ground. She smashed into it, sending huge shockwaves out. Shockwaves shook the foundations of the Temple and sent many of its roofs crashing down. She created a gigantic crater and once the dust had cleared, she could be seen kneeling on one knee in the center. Her hands were gripped around Eclipse's hilt, head bowed slightly toward it, as if in prayer. Then she stood and pulled the sword out of the ground. Sheathing it, she climbed out of her crater.

As she reached the top, she saw Michael set down, soft as a feather, to her left. Both had blood dripping from their arms and stomach. On Mara's armor, the blood made little river of red. Michael's blood seeped through his clothes and made a spreading red stain on them.

In the Temple, everyone was crouched down low beneath a window frame. As if receiving a mental call, Chase stood up and walked out. The monks timidly followed. On the plain, Mara and Michael were facing off, staring into each other's eyes. Mara had removed her helmet, sweat dripping down her hatred-filled face. Her brother wasn't much better. He held the Phoenix Spear in one hand. The sweat made rivulets in the dirt that streaked his impassive face.

Without looking, Mara stepped back and Chase took the hint. They vanished. The monks looked at Michael. His black eyes were staring off into a random direction, apparently contemplating the fight. "You guys should go do something productive," he said blandly. Taking that none-too-subtle hint, the four monks hoped on Dojo's back and flew off into the distance. Only Teran remained. He looked about to say something to Michael, but a sharp look from him changed his mind.

"I'll go guard the wu," he said, edging away. After he was gone, Michael returned to the room he shared with Raimundo. As he pushed aside the curtain to enter, he changed his mind. He went instead to Kimiko's room. Mara's things still sat where she had left them, a testament to her sudden departure. He picked up her pillow. It still smelled exotic, having traveled all over the world with her. He remembered hearing a song from one of her CD's.

_I'm so tired of being here_

_Suppressed by all my childish fears_

_And if you have to leave_

_I wish that you would just leave_

_'Cause your presence still lingers here_

_And it won't leave me alone _[Michael threw the pillow to the ground

_These wounds won't seem to heal _

_This pain is just too real_

_There's just too much that time cannot erase _

_When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears_

_When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears_

_And I held your hand through all of these years_

_But you still have_

_All of me_

In Chase's Lair

Mara:

_You used to captivate me_

_By your resonating life_

_Now I'm bound by the life you've left behind_

_Your face it haunts_

_My once pleasant dreams _

_Your voice it chased away_

_All the insanity in me_

_These wounds won't seem to heal _

_This pain is just too real_

_There's just too much that time cannot erase _

_When I cried you'd wipe away all of my tears_

_When I'd scream you'd fight away all of my fears_

_And you held my hand through all of these years_

_But you still have_

_All of me_

Unison:

_I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone_

_But though you're still with me_

_I've been alone all along_

_These wounds won't seem to heal _

_This pain is just too real _

_There's just too much that time cannot erase_

_When you/I cried I'd/you'd wipe away all of your/my tears_

_When you'd/I'd scream I'd/you'd fight away all of your/my fears _

_And I/you held your/my hand through all of these years_

_But you still have_

_All of me _

(Based on Evanescence "My Immortal" (some words were changed.) I strongly advise you listen to it as well. It's part of the mood.)

At the Temple

Teran had heard Michael sing and was deeply moved. He'd heard the song before, but this time, there was just more emotion put into it. It seemed to thrum deep in his bones. He watched Michael walk out of the Temple and walk around for a little while. The monks returned as well, never having strayed too far away. The sun rose, blood-red.

_"_How 'bout some chow, buddy?" Teran asked Michael. He nodded.

"Breakfast would be absolutely fabulous. What should we have?"

"I was thinking breakfast burritos, fresh from New Mexico."

"Need these?" Michael whipped the Golden Tiger Claws out of his pocket.

"Yo, monk-ies. We're going to eat now. Get ready to go."

Omi was confused. "I am not a monkey. Why did Teran call me a monkey?"

Kimiko rolled her eyes. "It was like calling a pup a puppy, or a cat a kitty. We're monks, so therefore, we're monk-ies."

"Ah! Kimiko, you are much enlightened."

"And you are an idiot," Raimundo mumbled under his breath. Kimiko glared daggers at him. He shrugged.

"Food!" Clay exclaimed happily. Michael made the portal to out front a little mom& pop burrito shop in New Mexico. They ordered their food and sat down to wait. Soon enough, their burritos arrived, smothered in green chili. Clay and Teran licked their lips and dug in. They all had one burrito, except for Teran, who ate seven. After his seventh, he just fell over into his plate, sleeping. Michael rolled his eyes and carried Teran out. Kimiko paid for their food; she didn't want a repeat of their thievery at the buffet. She had no idea what it might do to their karma.

They laid Teran Omi's room and went into the kitchen for some ice-cream. As they sat around the table, they found that suddenly the Oracle's Mouth was there.

"What the heck is this thing?" Michael asked, looking at it, puzzled.

"It's a Shen Gong Wu that prophesies," Kimiko informed him. "It told us what Mara would do, only we thought it was going to be you because we saw what you had written in your notebook."

Michael laughed. "That stuff is plans to take over the world sure enough. But if you had looked closely, some of them were for games. I read the books for ideas. And if I plan for every eventuality as far as that goes, I can stop whoever it was."

"That makes sense. Sorry dude." Raimundo shrugged remorsefully.

Kimiko was studying Michael's eyes. "You know, everything about your person seems to suggest evil. Like the dark hair, obsidian dragon, the notebook. And Mara seemed to be good because she was white haired, and had the silver dragon. It's so strange that we always associate light with good. And none of that mattered anyway. It was the eyes that reflected the true personality. The eyes really are the windows to the soul."

"That is most deep, Kimiko," Omi remarked.

"Well, you know what they say: girls are better at thinking than guys. Guys have more brain matter because they loose more of it doing boneheaded things."

The guys all scowled. She ignited her hands, warning them not to try anything. They backed off.

"Um…that thing has been sitting on the table. Maybe we should use it," Michael suggested, attempting to control the situation. They calmed instantly and gathered around the Oracle's Mouth. It began to speak.

_Whence comes he,_

_The life bringer._

_But also bears death's_

_Stony finger._

_And so the human mind,_

_Like an open book_

_He reads the deepest soul_

_With one look._

All was silent but the birds outside and Teran's quiet snores from down the hall. "Well. That was informative," Michael stated.

"This is getting out of hand. Why is it all the sudden so detailed? Whenever Dashi used it, it was so dang vague!" Dojo complained.

Michael rolled his eyes. "So who's this 'Life-Bringer' anyway?"

"No idea, other than he's a guy." Raimundo restated the obvious. Michael rolled his eyes.

"Other than that, does anyone have any clues?"

Omi raised his hand. "I recall seeing Teran help that plant by the doorway. He made it more green."

"Now that you mention it, there's that one tree in the garden that's dead. I came across Teran kneeling in front of it, placing his hands on it. Come to think of it, it's been growing leaves again." Kimiko wrinkled her forehead in thought.

"Here too. When he landed after being thrown off the bull, the grass was thicker and greener." Raimundo added his input.

Clay thought for a moment. "That's why that durn boy could eat so much an' not get any bigger."

"Definitely time to go talk to him." Michael led the way into Teran's room. The found him sitting, meditating. At least that was what it looked like at first glance. Suddenly a little mouse jumped out of his hands a skittered away.

"What do you want?" he asked in a weary voice.

"Who are you really?" Michael asked, staring Teran down.

"I am who I said I was. Teran." Seeing the expression on Michael's face, he shrugged. "I know what you want to know. I'll tell you.

"I was three when they came to my house. I don't know who they were and I don't even care enough to find out. My dad owed them some money. He did it to provide a house for my family to live in. It ended up he couldn't pay them back. They killed him. My mom was devastated.

"The years past. I became a thief because that was what I was good at. My mother was either too crazy or just chose not to see how I put food on the table. My chosen path allowed me access to the criminal underworld of Los Angeles. I only had the vague memories of a three-year-old to give me the descriptions of my father's killers. Over the years I learned I could bring life to the dying trees in my front yard. I found it worked with anything as long as it had a tiny spark of life left within it.

"My mother died. It was then I figured out my gift of giving life could also kill. I was angry and upset. I choked the life out of the trees I had spent so long nurturing into life again. The feds found out and dumped me into a foster home. I was thirteen at the time, old enough to know that it would be very bad to tell anyone about my gift. It wasn't long before I was arrested for pocketing a solid gold watch. My foster family refused to let me back in after my month at juvie was up. So I got put in another foster home. That didn't work out very well. Things kept disappearing from them. I'll admit it was me taking it, but with the money was able to purchase a pistol. No worries, it's gone now.

"The family figured it was me and kicked me out. Over the course of the next two years, I was bounced around to fifty-some foster homes, including a brief stay at an orphanage until I ran away. It was around this time I located my father's murderers. After moving all over the country, I had ended up back in Los Angeles. I had actually pick pocketed one of them. He turned around to see who had hit him and I saw.

"I tailed them back to their hideout. Once there, I waited for them to become complacent. I waited for them to sit down in front of the TV. You see, my father had been sitting with me on the couch watching some silly little kids' movie. They just walked in through the front door, stood in front of the TV and shot him. Eventually, they each grabbed a couple beers and settled into the ratty couch. I stepped in front of them. I told them, 'You probably don't remember me. But I remember you and in this case, that's all that matters. Are you seeing anything familiar about this situation? I know you know what it's like to be in my position. But you can only imagine what it's like to be on the other side. I know; you put me there. Now, I'm going to show you how it feels, assholes.' They understood, they remembered that particular job. And they knew they were going to die, I could see it in their minds. I shot and killed them. I cleaned the gun thoroughly and dumped into the pacific. I actually got arrested the next week when I tried to steal something from a police officer. I went to juvie for four months. I was sent to a different foster family. They beat on me and when they didn't do that, they forgot I existed. That meant no food, no money, no anything.

"I turned sixteen and ran away. Was I honestly expected to just sit there and take that kind of crap? Well, I didn't. I was careful when I stole, but I managed to gather enough cash to get a first-class plane ticket to China. I figured they would just give up on me finally. Which brings me to the point at which I met you guys. From then on, I think it's pretty clear."

Silence greeted his words. It was hard for any of them to picture Teran killing those men, although, Michael was thinking he probably would have done the same thing in that position. "Um, that makes sense. That's why you didn't want to get arrested again at the museum. You knew they would have a file on you and the feds might find you again."

"Not quite." He looked more run down than ever. "It's very tough when you have the highest IQ of anyone there. Trust me, none of you would last a week in that place." He faced Raimundo. "Not even you, Pedrosa. Regardless of what you think."

"Did I say that or just think it?"

"You thought it. But as I said, I can read minds. Most minds. Some people have good enough defenses that I can't get through. I can also see what's written on you soul. Not that I'd tell anyone, though. Adds a bit mystery to the future, eh?"

"So, why to we need you?"

"I give you the edge. You're lucky I dislike this Chase guy so much I wouldn't join his side," he said darkly.

"Is that because you think Mara likes him?" Raimundo asked slyly. The next instant he was on his back.

"Don't pretend you understand me, Pedrosa."

Raimundo sat up as Teran settle back into his meditation pose. "Come on, it was a joke! Why can't people take jokes around here?"

"How can you help us?" Kimiko asked, changing the subject.

"Well, Chase is equal to the four of you and Mara is equal to Michael. That means there is no one else on Chase's side to be equal with me. Therefore, I give you the advantage. Simple math. If you had learned to count Pedrosa, you might have figured it out."

"Enough already, dude. I get it."

"Can't you take a joke?"

"Boys. Shut. Up." Kimiko stepped between them, blazing fireballs in her hands. "We are on the same team, whether you like it or not."

"Sorry man. Reading minds sometimes makes me say things I don't really mean." Teran held out his hand.

"Sure. 'Cause I know where you got those retorts. From my mind, dude. So I forgive ya."

"I'm hungry," announced Teran.

**

* * *

**

Now tell me what you thought of it, puleeze!

Love you all,

Glow Frog Kyrna


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